23rd Precinct
by ProLiferChelle
Summary: This is a revised version of one of my older fics. It takes place several years after "Another World" went off the air. Slight changes to canon have been made for plotline purposes. Characters not invented by me are the property of Procter and Gamble Productions. Length of chapters will vary.
1. Chapter 1

Joe Carlino and Toni Burrell were in Joe's office, talking.

"I'm just not sure I can come back and work here again," Toni said.

"Why not?" Joe asked. "I'd love to have you back, and I know Josie would love to work with you again."

"Well, I'd sure love to work with her again. We went through a lot together. But after the way I messed up in Florida..."

"What happened there was not your fault." Joe spoke firmly, but not sternly.

"Wasn't it? I was fired due to mass corruption in my precinct, remember?"

"Toni, listen to me," Joe said. "Unfortunately, sometimes there will be a precinct full of bad cops. Gabe, God rest his soul, used to call  
them _cops who don't deserve to wear the badge_, and he was absolutely right."

"I never should have accepted that captaincy in the first place," Toni said. "I mean, who was I kidding? I'd only been a cop for about  
two years. What did I know about running a precinct, let alone dealing with bad cops?

"Look, Toni, you had a bad experience, but that doesn't make you a bad cop."

Toni scoffed. "But I sure wasn't a very good captain. I'll bet _you_ could have whipped that precinct into shape."

"What I don't understand is how any cops could betray their shields," Joe said. "Don't they realize, don't they  
even care, that they are dishonoring the memory of every hero cop who ever died in the line of duty?"

"Thanks, Joe."

"For what?"

"For what you just said. It helped me to make up my mind."

"And?" Joe asked.

"I'm coming back to work."


	2. Chapter 2

Several weeks later, Toni and Josie were at Carlino's on their lunch break. Josie had a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in  
front of her. Toni had ordered the chicken cacciatore.

"Joe wanted me to work on a case, but I turned it down," Toni said.

"That's like the fourth case you've turned down," Josie said.

"I think may be the fifth," said Toni.

"Toni," Josie pointed out, "you can't go on turning down every case Joe offers you."

"I know, but I just don't feel ready to handle any cases."

"You've been back for three weeks now, but it's like you're not back at all," Josie complained.

"I think I'm just scared," Toni admitted.

"What are you so scared of?" Josie asked.

"Messing up like I did in Florida."

"Forger about Florida," Josie said. "If Joe didn't think you could handle police work here, he wouldn't have asked you  
back, and you know it."

"Maybe what went down in Florida changed me more than Joe realizes," Toni said.

Josie asked, "Have you told him the whole story?"

Toni shook her head and answered, "I haven't told anybody the whole story."

"Do you want to tell me?" Josie asked.

"I think I'd like you to know, but first you've got to promise me something."

"What?" Josie asked.

"That you won't tell Joe."

"Of course I won't if you ask me no to, but why don't you want him to know?"

"Because," Toni said, "if Joe finds out what really happened, it could ruin his career."


	3. Chapter 3

Josie Sinclair and the recently-returned Toni Burrell were at Carlino's on their lunch break, talking while their food grew cold.

"I don't get it. How could something that happened in Florida ruin Joe's career?"

"When I got there," Toni said, "I ran into someone from the past."

"Your past?" Josie asked.

"Our past," said Toni.

"Who?" Josie asked.

Toni grimaced. "Well," she said, he was using the name _Claude Randall_, but we knew him as"

"Don't tell me!" Josie broke in. "It wasn't... it couldn't be!"

"Chip Rayburn. I almost quit when I saw him," Toni said, "but then I decided that there was  
no way on God's green Earth I'd let him run me off."

"So what happened? And why can't we tell Joe?" Josie asked.

A waitress approached. "Is your food okay?"

"It's fine," Josie said. "We're just talking."

"And it's kind of private," Toni added.

"Suppose I have this reheated," the waitress suggested.

"Yes, thank you," said Toni.

"We'd appreciate that," Josie said.

The waitress took their plates back to the kitchen.

"A few weeks after I took over," Toni went on, "Chip/Claude came to me with solid proof of corruption, massive corruption,  
at the precinct."

"But why would he tell you? Has he changed?"

"The only thing about that creep that has changed is his name, if he even had that legally changed," Toni said.  
He told me so I wouldn't find out in some other way. And then, when I told him I'd have to report it..."

Toni described to Josie the scene that had replayed in her mind so many times.

TONI: I have to report this.

CHIP: Now you listen, and you listen real good. If you breathe one word of this to anyone, I'll tell what really went down in Bay City, Illinois, back in 1997.

TONI: You mean you'd admit you're a rapist?

CHIP: I've already served my time, remember? So, if you open your mouth, I'll open mine. I'll go public with the fact that you and Josie Sinclair used illegal methods to get me to confess, and that Joe Carlino knew about it, and did not report you. (Insinuatingly) You could call that corruption, couldn't you, Toni? Or maybe dereliction of duty?

TONI: The citizens of Bay City remember you as a rapist punk, and they love Joe. So who's going to believe a word you say against him?

CHIP: (cockily) The mayor. Grant Harrison.

"So you see," Toni concluded, "why I had to look the other way, and not report the corruption?"

"Yes. If Grant got ahold of that information, he'd have a field day," Josie said.

"So I kept my mouth shut," Toni said. "For more than two years, I kept my mouth shut."


	4. Chapter 4

"For more than two years, I kept my mouth shut," Toni said. "I just didn't know what else to do."

"You did it to protect Joe because you didn't want him to get in trouble for protecting _us."_

"Exactly," said Toni. "And the corruption grew worse and worse, until finally I couldn't stand it any more, so I  
handed in my resignation and came back to Bay City."

"Well, I'm sorry for what happened in Florida, but I'm not sorry you're back."

"Josie," Toni said, looking troubled, "do you think I did the right thing?"

"I'm not sure there _was _a right thing to do," Josie answered thoughtfully. "Sometimes all you can do is to,  
as the saying goes, pick the lesser of two evils."

"And I chose not to risk ruining Joe's career."

The waitress returned with the reheated food.

####

An hour later, after Toni and Josie had returned from their lunch break, Joe called them into his office.

"I've got a new case for you, and I mean for _both _of you."

"Joe, I..." Toni began.

"No, Toni," Joe said. "I'm not letting you turn this one down. Its time for you to get, as the old song goes,"  
(Joe sang) "back in the saddle again."

"And I'd love to work with you again," Josie put in.

"All right. It _is _time I got" (Toni sang, as Joe had a minute ago) "back in the saddle again."

"Good," Joe said. "Then it's settled."

"So what's the assignment?" Josie asked.

"Several people have complained to the department about what may be some threatening phone calls, and  
nobody knows who the caller is, or where he or she is calling from."

"Let's hope it's just some kid playing a prank," Toni said.

"It very well could be," Joe said, "but given the nature of these calls, I think we should treat them as a serious threat."

"What does the caller say?" Josie asked.

"Always the same thing," Joe answered. "_You don't know where, and you don't know_ _when_."


	5. Chapter 5

Joe had just called Toni and Josie into his office and told them that he had gotten several complaints about somebody  
who was calling people on the phone and saying, "You don't know where, and you don't know when."

"Could they tell if it was a man or a woman?" Josie asked.

"It sounds like a man, but the voice is disguised. And the number he is calling from  
hasn't shown up on anybody's Caller I.D."

"Of course not," Josie said. "If you were making calls like that, wouldn't you block Caller I.D.?"

"And there's no way of knowing whether these are actual threats, or just some kid playing  
a prank," said Toni.

"Exactly," Joe said, "which is why we have to find out who the caller is before anything happens."

"And what if it turns out to be just a kid playing pranks?" Josie asked.

"If it is," Joe said, "then I want to have a serious talk with that kid's parents."

"Does this caller target certain types of people, or call at a certain time?" Toni asked.  
"Because if he does, we should be able to establish a pattern."

"See that?" Joe said. "You're thinking like a cop again."

"I'd say she's thinking like a _detective_," Josie put in.

"Unfortunately," Joe went on, "the answer is no. The times of the calls, and the  
people called, are completely random."

#####

Several weeks went by. It was Toni's day off. Joe and Josie were talking in Joe's office.

"I've been thinking about this telephone stalker," Josie said. "I don't think he is really dangerous.  
Most of them aren't, you know."

"But some of them are," Joe pointed out.

"Oh, come on. It's been weeks, and all this guy has done is make threats. He hasn't attacked anyone yet."

"And that is the operative word," Joe said. "_Yet_."

"Still and all," Josie said thoughtfully, "I'll bet it would take just one cop to bring him in."

"Josie, you're not getting any ideas, are you?"

"Ideas?" Josie asked, a bit too innocently. "Like what?"

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, and, Josie, I want you to promise me that  
you will not go after this guy or any other perp on your own," Joe ordered.

"How did you know," Josie broke off in the middle of her sentence

"I know you, Josie, and I've seen that look on your face before," Joe answered. "Now, do you promise?"

"I still think," Josie began.

"Do you promise?" Joe asked sternly.

Josie sighed

"Yes, sir. I promise I won't go after this guy on my own."

####

The next morning, Josie and Gary had just enjoyed a good, filling breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and English muffins.  
They were now lingering at the table, slowly drinking a second cup of coffee.

"I'm glad your shift starts late today," Gary said.

"Me too," said Josie.

"But I can't stay much longer. I have to meet Cameron and discuss a new case we might work on."

Gary finished his coffee and kissed Josie goodbye.

Josie opened the newspaper and started to work on the crossword puzzle. The phone rang. Josie  
went to answer.

"Hello," Josie said.

She heard a man's muffled voice say, "I'm ready to turn myself in."

"Who is this?" Josie asked.

"You don't know where, and you don't know when."

"Are you on the level?" Josie demanded.

"Yes," said the caller. "I want you to come and get me."

"Why can't you just come down to the precinct, and turn yourself in?"

"Because you are going to catch me in the act," the man replied.

"So you want to turn yourself in, but first you have to be caught in the act?"

"Well, that would make the arrest stick, wouldn't it? Now I'll tell you _where_ and _when."_

"Go on," said Josie.

"There's just one thing, Detective," the man told her.

"What's that?" Josie asked.

"You come alone. No backup."


	6. Chapter 6

"If you really want to turn yourself in, then why do you care if I have backup?" Josie asked.

"Because I want to turn myself in to you, and nobody else," her caller said. "In fact, I'll make sure that you  
catch me in the act."

"And how would I be sure to catch you?" Josie demanded.

"Easy. You'll come at exactly the time I tell you, and when you get there, you'll start whistling."

"So I'm supposed to let you know I'm there, so you can commit the crime?" Josie asked sarcastically.

"And then you arrest me. It's as simple as that."

"Just what sort of game are you playing?" Josie asked.

"I suppose you could call it "Cops and Robbers," except there's only one cop, and I'm not a robber."

"All right." Josie sighed. "Tell me where and when you want me to come, but I'm not promising to show up.  
I'll have to think about it."

"The docks, at two-thirty this afternoon," the man instructed her.

"How will I recognize you?" Josie asked.

"I'll be wearing a brown jacket and a brown Stetson hat, and I'll be talking into a cell phone. Don't forget: the docks  
at two thirty." He ended the call.

"Great," Josie thought. "Just great. If I want to bring this guy in, I have to do it on my own. And if I act on my own,  
I don't want to think about what Joe will say. Then again, how can I just let this creep walk when I have a chance  
to stop him?"


	7. Chapter 7

Paulina was in the kitchen at CARLINO'S when Joe walked in, looking worried.

"Hey, honey. Is something wrong?"

"I hope not," Joe said. "Was Josie in here today, Blue Eyes?"

"No. Why?" Paulina asked.

"She never came back from her lunch break."

"That's not like her," Paulina said.

"No," Joe agreed, "it isn't."

"Maybe she ate something that disagreed with her, and she went home to bed," Paulina suggested.

"Without letting me know?"

"She might have felt too sick to call," Paulina said.

"No," Joe answered, "I think something has happened." He took out his police transmitter.  
"This is Captain Carlino. All units be on the lookout for Detective Josie Sinclair.  
She may be in danger. She never came back from her lunch break. Adams and Tibbs, I want you to come with me. Over."

"Don't worry," Paulina said. They'll find her."

"Or Adams, Tibbs, and I will," said Joe.

The clock on the wall read 2:29.

####

A man in brown jacket and brown Stetson hat stood on the dock, talking into a cell phone. Josie came up behind him and started whistling.

"You don't know where, and you don't know when," said the man.

"FREEZE!" Josie ordered.

The man turned around. Josie turned pale as she found herself face-to-face with Chip Rayburn.


	8. Chapter 8

"So we meet again, Detective Sinclair," Chip sneered.

Josie recovered herself and said, "You are under arrest. The charge is phone stalking. You have the right"

"I know that speech, remember?" Chip broke in. "Just put on the handcuffs, and make the arrest"  
He held out his wrists.

"As easy as that?" a suspicious Josie asked.

"I told you I was ready to turn myself in."

Joe, Adams, and Tibbs approached.

"What's going on here?" Joe demanded.

"I thought I said "no backup," said Chip.

"Josie," Joe said, "I want to know what's going on."

Adams whispered to Tibbs, "Something tells me Josie is in big trouble."

"Joe, guess who our phone stalker turned out to be," Josie said.

"I called her and told her I was ready to turn myself in," Chip said. "Knowing  
Detective Sinclair from the past, I figured she'd come after me."

"Well, Josie," Joe said, "you may as well finish making the arrest, but you and I are going to talk about this."

"You're right," Tibbs said to Adams. "She's in trouble."

#####  
Twenty minutes later, Joe and Josie were in Joe's office at the 2-3 with the blinds closed and  
the door locked.

"So tell me exactly what happened, Josie," Joe ordered.

"All right," Josie said. "The phone stalker called me at my house this morning and said he wanted to turn himself in."

"And you didn't see fit to tell me?" Joe asked.

"He said to come alone."

"And you listened to him? Josie, didn't you know I would have provided you with all the plain clothes back-up you needed?"

"I know you would have."

"And didn't you promise me that you wouldn't go after this phone stalker or any other perps on your own?" Joe went on.

"Yes, but" Josie began

"But what, Josie? You disobeyed a direct order, and you broke your promise," Joe said.

"But I didn't know it was Rayburn," Josie protested.

"No, you couldn't have known that," Joe agreed. "None of us even knew that he was out of prison  
[Josie didn't say a word] and, believe me, I'm going to find out why. But tell me one thing, Josie."

"What?" Josie asked.

"Would it have made any difference if you _had_ known that it was Rayburn?"

"To be perfectly honest, Joe, I don't know," Josie admitted. "But, like I said, I _didn't_ know it was Rayburn."

"That's just it, Josie. You didn't know who the caller was, you didn't know if he had a weapon,  
and you didn't know if he had anyone with him. For all you knew, you could have been walking into an ambush."

"Well," Josie argued, "there wasn't any ambush, and I made a clean arrest, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but that does not change the fact that you acted on your own, broke your promise  
and disobeyed a direct order," Joe reprimanded her. "And for that, I am placing you on desk  
duty until further notice. It's for your own good."

"Yes, sir," Josie sighed.

A minute later, Joe and Josie walked out of the office and into the squad room. Chip Rayburn was handcuffed  
to one of the desks.

"I want to make my phone call now," Chip demanded.

"All right," Joe said, unlocking the handcuffs, "you can call your attorney."

Chip picked up the phone and pressed the buttons.  
"I'm not calling an attorney."

"Then who _are _you calling?" Josie asked.

"I'd like to speak to Mayor Grant Harrison, please," Chip said into the phone. "I have some information about the Bay City Police Department that should interest him."


End file.
